A dragon's ward
by Annalisa Yoru
Summary: Nothing ever seems to go right for him. Bloody, half dead, mess on a hospital bed with his worried girlfriend watching over him. All he wanted to do was come home to her in one piece. Side story to my Fairy Tail one shot series.


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The bluenette raced down the streets to the hospital. 'Idiot!' She wanted to scream if her panic for her boyfriend wasn't the first thing in her mind as she fell against the hospital's doors winded.

"Where can I find Gajeel Redfox?" She asked the receptionist.

The woman gave the mage a worried look, faintly seeing the outlines of other Fairy Tail members also rushing down the street. "He's in surgery. What is your relation to Mr. Redfox?"

"Girlfriend," Levy stated then looked around the waiting room. She instantly spotted Lily sitting in the corner, eyes wide with shock. In three seconds she was in front of him and hugged him. The Exceed shivered and clung to her.

"What happened?" She asked while trying to keep from crying. Lily sat back and released a shuddered breath.

"It was an ambush. Gajeel and the Rune Knights had no hope." He recounted and squeezed his eyes tight. "I shouldn't have listened to him when he told me to wait with the rest of the army. Ivan and those bastards wouldn't have attempted to tear him limb from limb if we didn't split up."

'Ivan?' Levy glanced back when she heard the hospital's doors open again to see Makarov, Natsu (carrying Drake and Aiden), and Lucy enter. 'The master's son…' Her gaze darkened as she recalled a confession Gajeel made to her a week or so before he left for his three month long mission while they were lying awake in their apartment. She had been blind enough to ask him how he convinced Makarov to let him join Fairy Tail. He told her that he had to take a mission that would prove his loyalties and that it was a mission that he had yet to finish officially. She didn't ask him more about it since Drake came in their room after a nightmare and he avoided the unspoken question.

"You are unharmed, Lily?" Makarov asked the Exceed before a slap echoed and his cheek stung.

Levy glared at the guild master through her tears. "You asked him to go after Ivan? Alone?" She wanted to scream the question but it came out as a choked sob.

The elderly man looked at the young woman. "I can't deny it." He admitted and Levy fell to her knees.

Lily hissed, "You purposely asked him to go against that sadistic bastard with the knowledge that it was a suicide mission?"

The elderly man stood still and silent. Levy cried into her hands and shook her head back and forth. Lucy held her friend and also turned a glare toward the guild master.

Drake fought his uncle's hold, easily jumping out of the fire mage's arms, and hugged his mother. Levy cried harder and latched onto her son, rocking the five year old.

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Natsu stared at Makarov, "Did he even have a choice?" He asked bluntly, his disapproval was clear in his voice. The elderly man was a pacifist, not quick to action, and surely wasn't known for acting first. His level head made him the best guild master for Fairy Tail, a guild whose members were quick to act without stopping to think. He never acted first in a way that endangered his children- both his adopted and blood children.

"He did," Makarov looked at the mother and child with a remorseful gaze. "I gave him many chances to refuse or back out. He made it clear that he wanted to do more than just find Ivan's whereabouts."

The fire mage silently swore and glanced at the doors that led further into the hospital.

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"Mommy," Drake wiped his mother's tears away before hugging her again. The five year old felt his siblings shift inside her and he looked at his aunt in worry.

"Levy, let's go outside for a breather." The blond offered and the script mage nodded.

Levy smiled faintly at her son and kissed his forehead before standing. "Behave for Uncle Natsu," She chided before following her best friend outside.

Red eyes tried to stay calm when his mother disappeared around the corner. He looked at the foreboding doors.

"D'ake"

He inwardly smiled at Aiden's soft, frightened, speech. The toddler was grasping the chair he was sitting in with one hand and his pant leg in the other.

The boy shook his head slightly to free himself from emotion before jumping out of the chair. "Let's go play, flame."

She smiled at him and nodded.

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"That infuriating, self-sacrificing, bastard!"

Lucy watched on as her best friend worked through her fears and frustrations. "We don't know the whole story yet, Levy. Ivan might have threatened him and that could be the reason why he didn't end the mission sooner."

"If it was me or Drake he would have said something." Levy wiped at the tears that were beginning to form in her eyes. "All these years…all those missions he didn't want me to come on…"

Lucy hugged her best friend and moved them over to the bench. "Gajeel won't kick the bucket yet and we both know that. He wouldn't leave you or his kids alone like this."

Levy leaned on her friend and nodded. It took her several minutes to gain her composure and reenter the waiting room. Makarov sat the furthest away while Natsu stood against the wall near the children's area of the waiting room.

'Don't you dare die on us.' Levy pleaded as she watched her son and niece play. Tears gathered again in her eyes of having to raise Drake alone. 'He's so young, he would barely remember his father.'

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Hours had passed since Natsu had taken the two children away from the waiting room. When the clock tolled midnight the doors finally opened.

"Redfox?" The doctor looked at the four mages.

Levy shot to her feet faster than the rest. "How is he?"

"Through the worst of it, he may have to have more surgeries in the future to reconstruct the damaged areas. He's on watch for the next forty eight hours to make sure there isn't more internal bleeding." He explained.

At the news Makarov dismissed himself and left the trio.

"Can I see him?" Levy asked, faintly remembering the doctor from the few times her injuries from missions were beyond Wendy's knowledge. 'Mac was his name I believe…'

The doctor looked at the mage and hesitated. "He's in the ICU, it's not the safest place in the world for a pregnant woman."

Lily scoffed, "You've spent the day working on a man who is anything but human. His brats and mate are no different."

The doctor looked at the Exceed and then back at Levy. "A few minutes wouldn't hurt." He reasoned.

Levy nodded and followed the doctor, waving goodbye to Lucy.

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She gasped when she saw how bad her boyfriend was. He looked as if he had seven more rounds with Laxus during the harvest festival…or even took on Natsu in a serious battle.

Mac rested a reassuring hand on the girl's shoulder. "He'll pull through. He's made it this far and that's good considering the severity of his wounds."

"How bad?" She asked the doctor once she was standing next to the bed.

"I've been a doctor for thirty years and I've never had a case this bad. This man had no hope of making it through surgery, yet he did." Mac looked at the pair. "I can tell the nurses to bring a roll away bed if you want."

Levy nodded, thankful the doctor wouldn't force her to leave. He left for the nurse's station and she moved a chair closer to the bed. Her fingers barely grazing his bandaged hand and the cast further up. After a rollaway bed was brought in and after thirty minutes passed, she picked up the doctor's report: using her magic reader glasses to gather the information quick then return to the chair.

'Gajeel,' she wanted to cry as the written news settled in. When the tears gathered in her eyes she rested her head on the free space next to his hand. 'Please, don't leave me.' Her tears came silently as she realized that she was facing her worst fear: The possibility of living life without him.

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Nothing ever went his way. He reasoned while inky black still ebbed at his mind. When he heard the steady drip of the iv he relaxed but didn't dare try to open his eyes yet.

'Why can't I move?' He wondered as he tried to flex the fingers on his right arm. The arm he faintly remembered Ivan's manic goon peeled the flesh away layer by layer. The fingers met with hard plaster.

He tried the same thing with his legs, finding that he could bend his knees but not move his toes.

When he did open his eyes he swore at how blurry his vision was, even when they were adjusted to the light.

'Someone please tell me that bastard died on his way to prison.' He found his neck immobile and several ribs broken and the rest bruised.

He breathed in deeply, relaxing even more when he picked up the scent of paper, ink, and lavender. He frowned when he also picked up wood and spice.

"Salamander," He greeted as strongly as he could, but his voice was raw.

Natsu chuckled and he heard the mage move closer. "I told Levy you wouldn't kick the bucket like this."

"How is she?" He asked, straining to look for her.

"Wendy had to come and relax her mind so she would sleep." Natsu sighed, "You had us all worried, you've been comatose for a month. The doctors didn't want to risk you waking up so it was drug induced."

"That long…" Gajeel winced as he realized he must have come in ten times more worse than he was at the moment.

Natsu chuckled and the iron mage heard him sit. "You didn't miss out on much: Just a pregnant Erza threatening gramps with a few swords…And Levy slapping him a few times."

He chuckled. He had expected the bluenette to be angry when he came back from the mission; he had just hoped it wouldn't be at him.

"Drake's with blondie?" He assumed.

"Yeah, Levy's been sleeping here every night so he moved into Happy's old room." Natsu explained and chuckled. "He's harder than you, rivet."

He chuckled but then winced when his body stabbed with pain.

"I'll go let the nurses know you're awake." Natsu told him then paused, "Welcome back."

Had he not been in the amount of pain he was in, Gajeel knew he would have replied with some half-witted remark.

"Gajeel?" A groggy feminine voice wondered.

He smirked, feeling her hand holding his left hand. He squeezed and then smirked. "Hey, shrimp." Seconds later he saw her shoot up in the chair, torn between wanting to scream at him and hugging him in relief.

She smiled and kissed his cheek. "Don't scare me like that again."

"Agreed,"

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The script mage glared at her boyfriend. It had been almost a week since he was released from the hospital. The six days were full of silence and grumbled apologies. The iron mage knew she was looking at him again but he couldn't look at her: his neck was still in a brace and the short woman made it clear that he'd be in a world of pain if he was caught without it on.

"I said I was sorry." He grunted while attempting to move to look at his girlfriend.

Levy shifted away from his gaze and kept her eyes locked on the book in her hands. When the twins started kick boxing again she winced.

"Shrimp-"

"You could have told me." She stated bluntly.

Gajeel sighed, "No, I couldn't." He argued gently.

"And why on earth not?" Levy snapped, her mood swings making her more sensitive to what the iron mage said than normal.

"You really think Ivan would have had mercy on the pregnant girlfriend and kid of the mage that was a double agent?" Gajeel stated harshly. "Don't you dare assume that I didn't want to. Only reason why I did it for this long was to make sure you were safe."

"You didn't have to do it alone." She argued. Both were unaware of the guild hall growing silent and watching the couple.

"Yes, I did." He countered.

"No, you didn't."

"If I tell you I had to do that alone then I had to do it alone! If I wasn't alone it would have clued Ivan something was up and I had to do it or else everyone here would have been murdered by the sadistic bastard." Gajeel fumed. The mage looked as dignified as he could be covered in bandages and casts and having only one arm to wheel himself around in the wheelchair. When he was facing the bluenette he frowned when he saw the tears in his girlfriend's eyes. "Damn it shrimp, don't cry."

The pregnant mage rounded on the injured father of her children, poking the iron mage in the chest with each word. "You almost died. If I want to cry I have every reason to."

Gajeel flinched, "Shrimp-" He warned the pregnant script mage while reaching for her.

"Bastard," She wiped at her eyes.

He sighed and dropped his hand. "Ok, I deserved that…" He bit back a growl when several guild mates uttered comments on how right that statement was.

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Levy sat back down and continued to wipe at her eyes. Seconds after she sat down a folded napkin fell on her lap.

She glanced at the iron mage, who was currently looking anywhere but at her. With a sigh she resigned herself to the knowledge that this was as much comfort she would get from the man and dabbed at her eyes. After the second dab she realized that the napkin was too thick than to just be folded. Inside the napkin was a small velvet pouch. She glanced at him again and yet again he avoided her gaze. Levy looked at the pouch for a few seconds before opening it and dumping the object the pouch held onto her palm: A narrow silver ring etched with elegant scroll work that copied the same leather scroll work that was on her favorite book.

"Read page 157," Gajeel grunted and glanced at the book he knew was in Levy's small pack.

Levy blinked but fished out the book and opened it to the selected page, gapping when a slip of paper fell out. She glanced over the page quickly before looking at the slip of paper- finding a rewritten version to the scene. Instead of the placement of Beauty and the Beast the characters were Dragon and Dragon's ward. She looked up at him.

"Will you?" He asked as gently as he could.

Levy launched herself from the bench to his lap, giving him a kiss as her answer before the wheelchair toppled over. When the pair recovered they kissed again, this time the guild applauded over the children's gags.


End file.
